Proposed Amendments to Chapter 15, Article X: Wetland Conservation Areas
Environmental Management of Protected Areas (EMPA)
1. Categories Of Protected areas
Cairo university
Faculty of Urban and Regional planning
Pre-master
Environmental Management of Protected Areas (EMPA)
• Categories Of Protected areas
• Galápagos Islands
By:
Nourhan Magdy Muhammed Al-Gazouly
2. Contents
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Categories Of Protected areas :
(Ia) Strict Nature Reserve ………………………………………………………...…………………………………..(4)
(Ib) Wilderness Area ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......(4)
(II) National Park …………………………………………………..………………………………………………………(5)
(III) Natural Monument or Feature ………………..………………………..……………………………………(5)
(IV)Habitat/Species Management Area ………………………………………………………………………..(6)
(V) Protected Landscape/Seascape …………………………………………….………………………………..(6)
(VI) Managed Resource Protected Area ……………………………..………….…………………………….(7)
Galápagos Islands :
(A) History/Location ……………………….……………………………………………………………………………(8)
(B) Physical geography
• Geography …………………………………………………..………………………………………………………..(9)
• Main islands ……..………………….……………………………….…….………………………………..………(9)
• Minor islands ……..………………….…………………….……….…….……………………………….………(10)
• Climate ………………………………………………………………..……………………………………….……..(11)
(C) Ecological charact
(1) List of birds in the Galápagos Islands ……………………………………………………………………(12)
(2) (2) List of animals in Galápagos Islands ………………………………………………………………..(13)
(D) The history of Galápagos islands as a national park ……………………………………………….(14)
(E) What makes Galápagos islands unique …………………………………………………………………..(14)
(F) Environmental threats ……………………………………………………….……………………………………(14)
References …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…...(15)
3. Categories Of Protected areas
(Ia)
Strict Nature
Reserve
(Ib)
Wilderness
Area
(II)
National
Park
(III)
Natural
Monument
or Feature
(IV)
Habitat/
Species
Management
Area
(V)
Protected
Landscape/
Seascape
(VI)
Protected
area with
sustainable
use of natural
resources
Categories
Of
Protected
areas
“IUCN Categories of Protected Areas”
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4. Categories Of Protected areas
(Ia) Strict Nature Reserve (protected area managed mainly for science):
Definition :
Area of land and/or sea possessing some outstanding or representative ecosystems,
geological or physiological features and/or species, available primarily for scientific research
and/or environmental Monitoring.
Primary objective :
To conserve regionally, nationally or globally outstanding ecosystems, species
(occurrences or aggregations) and/or geodiversity features :
these attributes will have been formed mostly or entirely by non-human forces and will
be degraded or destroyed when subjected to all but very light human impact.
Distinguishing features :
• Have a largely complete set of expected native species in ecologically significant densities
or be capable of returning them to such densities through natural processes or time-limited
interventions.
• Have a full set of expected native ecosystems, largely intact with intact ecological
processes, or processes capable of being restored with minimal management intervention.
• Be free of significant direct intervention by modern humans that would compromise the
specified conservation objectives for the area, which usually implies limiting access by people
and excluding settlement.
(Ib) Wilderness Area (protected area managed mainly for wilderness
protection):
Definition :
Large area of unmodified or slightly modified land, and/or sea, retaining its natural character
and influence, without permanent or significant habitation, which is protected and managed
so as to preserve its natural condition.
Primary objective :
To protect the long-term ecological integrity of natural areas that are undisturbed by
significant human activity, free of modern infrastructure and where natural forces and
processes predominate, so that current and future generations have the opportunity to
experience such areas.
Distinguishing features :
• Be free of modern infrastructure, development and industrial extractive activity,
including but not limited to roads, pipelines, power lines, cellphone towers, oil and gas
platforms, offshore liquefied natural gas terminals, other permanent structures, mining,
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5. Categories Of Protected areas
hydropower development, oil and gas extraction, agriculture including intensive livestock
grazing, commercial fishing, low-flying aircraft etc., preferably with highly restricted or no
motorized access.
• Be characterized by a high degree of intactness: containing a large percentage of the
original extent of the ecosystem, complete or near-complete native faunal and floral
assemblages, retaining intact predator-prey systems, and including large mammals.
(II) National Park (protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection
and recreation) :
Definition :
Natural area of land and/or sea, designated to :
(a) protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for present and future
generations.
(b) exclude exploitation or occupation inimical to the
purposes of designation of the area .
(c) provide a foundation for spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor
opportunities, all of which must be environmentally and culturally compatible.
Primary objective :
To protect natural biodiversity along with its underlying ecological structure and supporting
environmental processes, and to promote education and recreation.
Distinguishing features :
• Category II areas are typically large and conserve a functioning “ecosystem”, although to
be able to achieve this, the protected area may need to be complemented by sympathetic
management in surrounding areas.
(III) Natural Monument or Feature (protected area managed mainly for
conservation of specific natural features) :
Definition :
Area containing one, or more, specific natural or natural/cultural feature which is of
outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative or aesthetic
qualities or cultural significance.
Primary objective :
To protect specific outstanding natural features and their associated biodiversity
and habitats.
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6. Categories Of Protected areas
Distinguishing features :
• Category III protected areas are usually relatively small sites that focus on one or more
prominent natural features and the associated ecology, rather than on a broader ecosystem.
They are managed in much the same way as category II. The term “natural” as used here can
refer to both wholly natural features (the commonest use) but also sometimes features that
have been influenced by humans. In the latter case these sites should also always have
important associated biodiversity attributes, which should be reflected as a priority in their
management objectives if they are to be classified as a protected area rather than an
historical or spiritual site.
(IV)Habitat/Species Management Area (protected area managed mainly for
conservation through management intervention) :
Definition :
Area of land and/or sea subject to active intervention for management purposes so as to
ensure the maintenance of habitats and/or to meet the requirements of specific species.
Primary objective :
To maintain, conserve and restore species and habitats.
Distinguishing features :
• Category IV protected areas usually help to protect, or restore: 1) flora species of
international, national or local importance; 2) fauna species of international, national or local
importance including resident or migratory fauna; and/or 3) habitats. The size of the area
varies but can often be relatively small; this is however not a distinguishing feature.
Management will differ depending on need.
(V) Protected Landscape/Seascape (protected area managed mainly for
landscape/seascape conservation and recreation) :
Definition :
Area of land, with coast and sea as appropriate, where the interaction of people and nature
over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant aesthetic, ecological
and/or cultural value, and often with high biological diversity. Safeguarding the integrity of
this traditional interaction is vital to the protection, maintenance and evolution of such an
area.
Primary objective :
To protect and sustain important landscapes/seascapes and the associated nature
conservation and other values created by interactions with humans through traditional
management practices.
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7. Categories Of Protected areas
Distinguishing features :
Category V protected areas result from biotic, abiotic and human interaction and should
have the following essential characteristics:
• Landscape and/or coastal and island seascape of high and/or distinct scenic quality and
with significant associated habitats, flora and fauna and associated cultural features.
• A balanced interaction between people and nature that has endured over time and still
has integrity, or where there is reasonable hope of restoring that integrity.
• Unique or traditional land-use patterns, e.g., as evidenced in sustainable agricultural and
forestry systems and human settlements that have evolved in balance with their landscape.
(VI) Managed Resource Protected Area (protected area managed mainly for the
sustainable use of natural ecosystems) :
Definition :
Area containing predominantly unmodified natural systems, managed to ensure long term
protection and maintenance of biological diversity, while providing at the same time a
sustainable flow of natural products and services to meet community needs.
Primary objective :
To protect natural ecosystems and use natural resources sustainably, when conservation
and sustainable use can be mutually beneficial.
Distinguishing features :
• Category VI protected areas, uniquely amongst the IUCN categories system, have the
sustainable use of natural resources as a means to achieve nature conservation, together
and in synergy with other actions more common to the other categories, such as protection.
• Category VI protected areas aim to conserve ecosystems and habitats, together with
associated cultural values and natural resource management systems. Therefore, this
category of protected areas tends to be relatively large (although this is not obligatory).
• The category is not designed to accommodate large-scale industrial harvest.
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8. Galápagos Islands
(A) History/Location :
• The Galápagos Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón), are an archipelago of
volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean surrounding
the center of the Western Hemisphere, 906 km (563 mi) west of continental Ecuador, of
Which they are a part.
• The Galápagos Islands and their surrounding waters form the Galápagos Province of
Ecuador, the Galápagos National Park, and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The principal
language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000.
• The islands are known for their vast number of endemic species .
• The first recorded visit to the islands happened by chance in 1535, when Fray Tomás de
Berlanga, the Bishop of Panamá, was blown off course during a voyage to Peru.
• The group of islands was shown and named in Abraham Ortelius's atlas published in 1570
The first crude map of the islands was made in 1684 by the buccaneer
Ambrose Cowley, who named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after
British royalty and noblemen. These names were used in the authoritative navigation charts
of the islands prepared during the Beagle survey under captain Robert Fitzroy, and in
Darwin's popular book The Voyage of the Beagle.
• The new Republic of Ecuador took the islands from Spanish ownership in 1832, and
subsequently gave them official Spanish names.
The older names remained in use in English language publications, including Herman
Melville's The Encantadas of 1854.
Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates 0°40′S 90°33′W
Total islands 21
Major islands 18
Area 7,880 km2 (3,040
sq mi)
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9. Galápagos Islands
(B) Physical geography :
• The islands are found at the coordinates 1°40'N–1°36'S, 89°16'–92°01'W. Straddling the
equator, islands in the chain are located in both the northern and southern hemispheres,
with Volcán Wolf and Volcán Ecuador on Isla Isabela being directly on the equator.
• Española Island, the southernmost islet of the archipelago, and Darwin Island, the
northernmost one, are spread out over a distance of 220 km (137 mi). The International
Hydrographic Organization (IHO) considers them wholly within the South Pacific Ocean,
however. The Galápagos Archipelago consists of 7,880 km2 (3,040 sq mi) of land spread over
45,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi) of ocean. The largest of the islands, Isabela, measures
2,250 sq mi/5,827 km2 and makes up close to three-quarters of the total land area of the
Galápagos. Volcán Wolf on Isabela is the highest point, with an elevation of 1,707 m
(5,600 ft) above sea level.
• The group consists of 18 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The
islands are located at the Galapagos Triple Junction. The archipelago is located on the Nazca
Plate (a tectonic plate), which is moving east/southeast, diving under the South American
Plate at a rate of about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) per year. It is also atop the Galápagos hotspot,
a place where the Earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, creating
volcanoes. The first islands formed here at least 8 million and possibly up to 90 million years
ago.
• While the older islands have disappeared below the sea as they moved away from the
mantle plume, the youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, are still being formed, with the
most recent volcanic eruption in April 2009 where lava from the volcanic island Fernandina
started flowing both towards the island's shoreline and into the center caldera.
Main islands :
(1) Baltra (South Seymour) Island
(2) Bartolomé (Bartholomew) Island
(3) Darwin (Culpepper) Island
(4) Española (Hood) Island
(5) Fernandina (Narborough) Island
(6) Floreana (Charles or Santa María) Island
(7) Genovesa (Tower) Island
(8) Isabela (Albemarle) Island
(9) Santa Fe (Barrington) Island
(10) Santiago (San Salvador, James) Island
(11) Marchena (Bindloe) Island
(12) Wolf (Wenman) Island
(13) North Seymour Island
(14) Pinzón (Duncan) Island
(15) Pinta (Louis) Island
(16) Rábida (Jervis) Island
(17) San Cristóbal (Chatham) Island
(18) Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) Island
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11. Galápagos Islands
Climate :
These satellite maps show chlorophyll
concentration (which corresponds wit
h the abundance of phytoplankton)
during El Niño (top) and La Niña
(lower). Blue represents low
concentrations, yellow, orange and
red indicate high concentrations.
Currents that normally fertilize the
phytoplankton reverse during El Niño,
resulting in barren oceans. These
same currents are strengthened by La
Niña, resulting in an explosion of
ocean life.
The bottom image shows sea
surface temperature, cool upwelling
waters are colored purple. Thriving
phytoplankton populations are
indicated by high chlorophyll
concentrations (top image), colored
green, and yellow. Images acquired
on 2 March 2009.
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12. Galápagos Islands
(C) Ecological charact :
(1) List of birds in the Galápagos Islands :
This is a list of birds recorded in the Galápagos islands of Ecuador and contains 181 species.
• Ducks, geese and swans (Greylag goose - Black-bellied whistling duck - Masked duck -
White-cheeked pintail -Northern shoveler - Cinnamon teal - Blue-winged teal – Domestic
duck )
• Game birds (Green peafowl - Common quail - Domestic chicken - Wild turkey)
• Guineafowl (Helmeted guineafowl)
• Grebes (Pied-billed grebe)
• Flamingoes (American flamingo)
• Tropicbirds (Red-billed tropicbird - Red-tailed tropicbird )
• Pigeons and doves (Feral pigeon - Eared dove - Galapagos dove)
• Nighthawks (Common nighthawk)
• Swifts (Chimney swift)
Waved albatrosses
Critically Endangered (IUCN)
Brown Pelican
Least Concern (IUCN)
Blue-footed booby
Least Concern (IUCN)
Galápagos penguin
Endangered (IUCN)
Galapagos hawk
Vulnerable(IUCN)
Galápagos martin
Endangered (IUCN)
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13. Galápagos Islands
(C) Ecological charact :
(2) List of animals in Galápagos Islands :
• Mammals (Galápagos fur seal- Galápagos rice rat- Galápagos sea lion- Hoary bat- Eastern
Red bat, Galapagos subspecies)
• Reptiles (Galápagos tortoise - Green sea turtle - Marine iguana - Galápagos land iguana -
Lava lizard)
• Fish (Galapagos damsel- Scalloped hammerhead shark- Whitetip reef shark- Red-lipped
or Galápagos batfish- Spotted eagle ray- Golden cownose ray- Razor surgeon fish- King
angelfish)
• Grass insects (Praying mantis (Galapagia solitaria) - Grasshoppers, locusts, katydids and
crickets—Orthoptera)
• Other arthropods (Galápagos scorpion - Common yellow scorpion - Several species of
centipedes, including - Sally lightfoot crab)
Butterflies and moths — Lepidoptera (Large-tailed skipper - Green hawkmoth - Hawkmoth
(Hyles lineata florilega) - Hawkmoth (Manduca rustica calapagensis) - Footmen moths
Noctuid mot )
Galápagos fur seal
Endangered (IUCN)
Golden cownose ray
Near Threatened (IUCN)
Spotted eagle ray
Near Threatened (IUCN)
Scalloped hammerhead
Endangered (IUCN)
Aegialomys galapagoensis
Vulnerable(IUCN)
Green sea turtle
Endangered (IUCN)
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14. Galápagos Islands
(D) The history of Galápagos islands as a national park :
• In 1971, the Galápagos National Park Service had its first Superintendent, 2 officers and
6 park rangers on Santa Cruz Island. In 1974, the Galápagos National Park Service had its first
management plan and a team of officials in accordance with the organic structure issued in
1973, with a Superintendent, 2 conservation officers, 40 park rangers to comply with
management objectives. On Santa Cruz is the Charles Darwin Research Station.
• In 1979 UNESCO declared the Galápagos Islands Natural Heritage for Humanity, making
the Park Service through the Superintendent of the Park responsible for performing
permanent park conservation and guarding the islands.
• In 2007, the UNESCO added the Galapagos National Park to its List of World Heritage
Sites in Danger, reflecting the dangers posed by a fast pace of human development in all
its areas: immigration, tourism and trade, all increasing the likelihood of introduction of
invasive species to the islands. This represents the gravest danger to the fragile ecosystems
which have evolved over millions of years in natural isolation.
(E) What makes Galápagos islands unique :
• plants and animals.
• Unique Marine Life.
• What’s Underwater.
(F) Environmental threats :
• Introduced plants and animals, such as feral goats, cats, and cattle, brought accidentally
or willingly to the islands by humans, represent the main threat to Galápagos. Quick to
reproduce and with no natural predators, these alien species decimated the habitats of
native species. The native animals, lacking natural predators on the islands, are defenseless
to introduced predators.
• There are over 700 introduced plant species today. There are only 500 native and
endemic species. This difference is creating a major problem for the islands and the natural
species that inhabit them. These plants have invaded large areas and eliminated endemic
species in the humid zones of San Cristobal, Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz.
• Non-native goats, pigs, dogs, rats, cats, mice, sheep, horses, donkeys, cows, poultry, ants,
cockroaches, and some parasites inhabit the islands today. Dogs and cats attack the tame
birds and destroy the nests of birds, land tortoises, and marine turtles. They sometimes kill
small Galápagos tortoises and iguanas.
• The fast-growing poultry industry on the inhabited islands has been cause for concern
from local conservationists, who fear domestic birds could introduce disease into the
endemic wild bird populations.
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